WSP Unit Opening Included in Governor's Budget Proposal

Posted by Paul Zilly746sc on December 17, 2013

Today Governor Inslee released his supplemental budget proposal for 2014. In his proposal, the Governor appropriated $5.1 million in funding for “new prison capacity”, which will fund the opening of the remaining 256-bed unit at WSP to meet the demands of rising offender case loads and to reduce crowding at existing facilities.

While this is great news from the Governor’s office, and will help to ease overcrowding and improve staff safety, there is still much work that needs to be done during the 2014 legislative session to ensure that the Governor’s proposal is incorporated into the final budget.

We will all need to speak with our legislators on both the House and Senate side during session about the need to retain this funding. This is another reason why your attendance at our upcoming Lobby Day on January 28 is so important.